The Fallen
by Lady Amaryllis
Summary: Legolas and Aragorn are back in Rivendell, battling a religious cult of Black Riders. I reposted, and Part Three is coming soon, I promise. Hugs, Amaryllis
1. Default Chapter

The Fallen  
  
By Lady Amaryllis  
  
In the dense forest nearly a mile away from Rivendell, Legolas sat crouched upon the branch of a large tree, peering down into the shadows. After a few moments, he jumped lightly down from his perch and landed soundlessly on both his feet. He stepped along the worn footpath with an arrow nocked in the bow of Galardriel and stared intently into the darkness that surrounded him. Stalking over to another tree, he knocked softly on the bark.  
  
A black-feathered arrow shot out of the underbrush and struck him in the leg. He sucked his breath in sharply and cursed himself for being so careless, knowing very well that he could have both seen and heard that coming. He reached down and snapped the shaft off. It was better to leave the arrow in his leg than to tear it out, for the arrowhead was helping to stop bleeding.  
  
Aragorn fell from the tree above him, landing just as softly. He dared not say anything.  
  
Suddenly and without warning, Legolas let fly his arrow.  
  
There was a soft, muffled thud some distance away from them. Aragorn took off his cloak and slung it outward to see if any more arrows would come flying out of the shadows, but none did. Legolas rushed forward silently to see what he'd struck with his partner following closely behind.  
  
Aragorn pushed aside a fallen branch to reveal a black-cloaked figure lying on the ground. His black robe was still wrapped round his body, but the hood had been thrown back, and they saw that it was a young man with mouse-brown hair. Legolas' white-feathered arrow protruded from his chest. Though it was dark, Legolas could see, branded onto the side of his neck, the shape of an upturned crescent moon.  
  
A large black horse stood a few meters away, tied to the trunk of a tree. Aragorn cut the rope the horse was tied with, and it walked away quietly through the trees.  
  
"We'd best return now," he said, taking hold of Legolas' hand. "Your leg needs mending."  
  
"Aa." Legolas let himself be led out of the forest, leaning heavily on his companion's shoulder.  
  
"What, exactly, are we dealing with here?" Aragorn asked later that night, when they had reached the inn. He sat on a wooden stool in front of the fire, sipping at a mug filled to the brim with a hot, thick soup.  
  
Luraen, a young Ranger out of the north, threw more fuel onto the fire and watched for a moment as flames leapt up and blackened the ends of the log.  
  
"I don't know. The Black Riders and the like were supposed to have all perished when Sauron fell."  
  
"Could it be a religious cult?" Legolas asked. The memory of the crescent on the young man's neck had come back to him.  
  
"The one we found had the mark of a star on the left side of his neck," Luraen said. There was a silence.  
  
"Where are the others?" Legolas asked.  
  
"Haldrir and Eleslan are still running about in the woods. They should be back by tomorrow. Hopefully they've found something."  
  
"Well, then," Aragorn said, drinking the last of his soup, "it's time to retire." He stood up and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.  
  
"It's best I'd get some rest as well." Legolas stood to go as well.  
  
"Good night, both of you," Luraen said.  
  
"Good night." And they stepped out.  
  
Legolas pushed the door to their room open. "Have you any plans for tomorrow?" he asked.  
  
Aragorn pulled off his boots and set them near the door. "I possess not the foresight to tell what lies ahead," he said as he climbed into the bed. "But whatever it is, we shall be rested and prepared to face it."  
  
Having stripped down to his loose brown slacks, Legolas slid into bed and into Aragorn's arms. He savored the warmth and drew the cream-colored sheets up to his neck as he watched the fire in the hearth slowly die down to glowing embers.  
  
With the moon shining full and bright above him, Eleslan stalked carefully along the banks of the Baranduin river, with Haldrir several feet in front.  
  
From the opposite side of the river, a small figure clothed entirely in black stood watching them. He drew back his bowstring slowly and shot a black-feathered arrow across to the other bank.  
  
"Haldrir!" Eleslan said. He grabbed hold of his friend's cloak and pulled him into the forest. The arrow whizzed past harmlessly and was lost in the undergrowth. His heart beat wildly in his chest, and he clutched the fabric of Haldrir's cloak so tightly that his knuckles were white. He released his grip.  
  
Haldrir grabbed hold of the elf's hand and pulled him down into a kneeling position. "Watch the other bank," he said.  
  
Eleslan whirled round and snatched his hand away. He drew his sword and shouted:  
  
"Behind you!"  
  
Another horseman, clothed in black towered dangerously above Haldrir, the head of his spear pressed against the back of the young man's neck. He drove the cold metal point into his spine and thrust it through to the other side with an audible crunch.  
  
With a deft swing of his sword, Eleslan split the ebony shaft in two.  
  
The rider drew his sword and brought the blunt end of it down on Eleslan's head.  
  
His world went black and he remembered no more.  
  
=End Prologue= (Part 1?)  
  
§§*Amaryllis*§§  
  
Author's notes: Haldrir, Luraen, and Eleslan are all my characters (Haldrir and Luraen are men, Eleslan is an elf). Otherwise, standard disclaimers apply. All the other people belong to Mr. Tolkien. This is my first shot at LOTR fiction, but I've been writing GW shounen ai for just over a year now and I'm unfamiliar with this fandom. Feedback is always requested, and flames will be ignored or laughed at for the most part…..but please be kind. 


	2. Part Two

This is part two, and I just came back from the movie...I've a much better picture of how things are as far as appearances and whatnot. Only one question: In Rivendell, where are all those waterfalls being fed from? Is it Baranduin? Or is it something else? *scratches head* I can't recall if there ever was anything said about Baraduin going over waterfalls.  
  
HELP ME BOB!!!!!!! *claws at muse's feet* Help me, Bob! Please...pretty please......  
  
The Fallen (Chapter Two) by Amaryllis  
  
Late that night, when the moon hung high overhead, Aragorn's eyes snapped open. Unmoving, he listened for a moment.  
  
"Legolas, wake up," he said. The elf stirred only slightly, so Aragorn gave him a gentle nudge.  
  
"What is it?" Legolas asked, rubbing his eyes.  
  
"Hush...listen."  
  
"Foosteps," he said, after a pause. "I can no longer hear them." He noted that the sound had been accompanied by the occasional soft clink of metal.  
  
"Let's go, then. That's what we're here for: to guard this place."  
  
They crept out of their room into the cold night air, walking along the stone pathways and keeping to the shadows.  
  
For many long moments there was no sound save for the rushing of the many waterfalls and the sweet, lilting song of a nightingale in the distance. They had stopped behind a large, ornate trellis that was covered with creeping vines of ivy, and Legolas gazed outward through the latticework.  
  
"What are you looking at?" Aragorn asked, breaking the silence.  
  
"Elrond's room," came the reply. The lord's quarters were across the way, in the very heart of the village.  
  
Had he been allowed to, Legolas might have said something else, but Aragorn suddenly stiffened and clapped a hand over his mouth.  
  
"Be silent," he whispered, and removed his hand.  
  
They threw themselves against the wall. Legolas followed Aragorn's gaze, and in the moonlight caught a flurry of black robes as it disappeared round the corner. He drew an arrow from his quiver and gave chase, long blond hair flapping behind him.  
  
Aragorn followed without hesitation and prayed that his companion wouldn't get hurt again.  
  
He rounded the corner and winced as an arrow flew past, so close that he could feel the disturbance in the air. Luckily, the arrow had been loosed from Legolas' direction and he heaved a great sigh of relief when he whirled around and saw that the arrow had hit its mark.  
  
"Ah....!" Legolas bent and clutched at his neck as the rider fell to the ground, his armor contacting the cold stone floor with a heavy clunk.  
  
"What is it?" Aragorn asked with urgency in his voice. "Legolas....." He rushed forward, wrapped his arms round the elf's slender waist and held him upright.  
  
"I feel his pain," Legolas choked, "twofold." His hand traveled down to his bandaged thigh. "Do not worry, for it is already beginning to fade."  
  
"What fell curse is this?." Aragorn let go of Legolas slowly and backed away when he saw that the elf was able to stand on his own, albeit rather shakily.  
  
"The black arrow," he said softly. He bent and plucked his own arrow from the body of the rider cautiously, as if he expected to be stung by the poison once more. Nothing more happened, but black blood oozed from the wound, and upon examining the arrow, Legolas discovered that it had been eaten away in some places. He held the flight end of the arrow to the small blotch of blood on the rider's neck and watched in amazement as the feathers caught fire and withered.  
  
"Acid, possibly?" Aragorn asked.  
  
"Hm...."  
  
"Look on the side of his neck. He is branded with a star, just as Luraen said."  
  
Legolas extinguished the flaming arrow and tucked it into his quiver. "Elrond needs to know about this," he said. "We shall alert him in the morning, but let us see to it that he is safe."  
  
They went quickly down the hall without a sound and reached Elrond's room without difficulty. Upon peering into the room, they found the ruler of the valley sleeping peacefully, his chest rising and falling in time with his breathing.  
  
"We shall stay here for the remainder of the night," Aragorn said, and sat down at the foot of the steps leading up to Elrond's room. Legolas joined him without complaint, and Aragorn wrapped his arms round his waist once more, drawing him into his lap. He reclined against the wall and they dropped off to sleep at once.  
  
When Eleslan finally came to, he found himself on the back of a great black horse, being carried through a dense forest. The body of Haldrir had been laid across his lap, and Eleslan held his friend's cloak so that the broken body would not fall from the horse. Wind rushed over his face and the scenery flashed by endlessly. Once more, Eleslan grew weary and nodded off to sleep.  
  
The horse galloped at an exhausting speed for hours after that, until they reached a small sheltered valley around which there was a thick grey stone wall. The remnants of what had once been a flourishing vine clung lifelessly to the wall, and as the wind blew bits of the withered brown leaves were torn off and swept away.  
  
An old, weatherbeaten marble statue of a woman guarded the entrance to the valley, with the withered vines curling round her feet and up her long flowing robe. She stood in a recess in the wall with her arms outstretched, welcoming visitors to the city. Below her was a black cast- iron gate.  
  
The horse slowed to a halt before the gate, and the rider dismounted, taking care to make sure his charges did not fall off. He pushed the gate open slowly and tugged sharply on the horse's reins. The great black steed followed him obediently into the valley, its head low.  
  
=TBC=  
  
Urgh. Not sure I like how this chapter turned out. *shudders* *runs into igloo and hides*  
  
Stupid Bob! Grrr....... 


End file.
